Chandigarh | Jagran News Desk: The man, who lost his life in the "powerful explosion" inside the district court in Ludhiana this week, has been identified as 'Gagandeep Singh', a former official of the Punjab Police, reported news agency PTI quoting sources. Gagandeep, a resident of Khanna in Ludhiana, was dismissed from the post of head constable in 2019 and had to spend two years in jail after he was arrested in connection with a drug-trafficking case.
The PTI sources said that Gagandeep died while he was trying to assemble or plant the explosive device. They said that his body was identified by his family members, noting that a mobile SIM card and a wireless dongle helped them recognise him.
Besides Gagandeep, six others were injured in the explosion that took place inside the washroom of the court. Reports suggest that the attack might have been carried out by Babbar Khalsa, an international terrorist organisation backed by Pakistan. The group, as per reports, might also carry out more such attacks in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections slated to take place early next year.
"There were several instances of drones used to drop explosives were remained undetected and it might be used in terror activities before or during elections to create a law and order situation," news agency ANI quoted a senior intelligence official as saying.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police has said that it has got some important clues during the investigation that will help it crack the case. It said that teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guards (NSG) are also at the blast site and are working jointly.
Meanwhile, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday visited the Ludhiana district court said the Centre and the state will work together to ensure strong action against the domestic and foreign elements trying to disturb the peace and harmony in Punjab as well as in the country.
He said the main purpose of his visit was to assure the people of Ludhiana and entire Punjab that by launching a coordinated effort with the state government, the incident will be thoroughly probed. He also conveyed the empathy and support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the victims of the explosion and the people of Punjab.
"The Centre and the state will work together and take strong action against those elements within the country and outside who are trying to spoil the peace and harmony of Punjab and the country," PTI quoted Rijiju as saying.